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xe0 · Oct 24, 2006, 04:16 AM

Think Secret - Gallery: New Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Screenshots

Build 9A283. Nothing new really, and damn disappointing if you ask me. I hope these developer builds are hiding the 'top secret' features, such as a new UI when Leopard is unleashed.
I am of the school of thought that Apple will be releasing Leopard with an all new UI thats going to melt my face with pleasure.

xe0 · Oct 24, 2006, 04:18 AM

Direct link to screens

http://www.thinksecret.com/archives/leopard9a283/

seanc · Oct 24, 2006, 04:59 AM

I think they're hiding the UI change. It would be pretty stupid not to release a new UI to blow Vistas into the next galaxy. I'm not saying Vistas UI is good, it's bloated and it's a knock off of OS X in some ways, Apple needs to release something far superior to it.

Catfish_Man · Oct 24, 2006, 06:08 AM

By UI I'm guessing you guys mean visual theme. I disagree that it's in need of major updates (in fact I think that might be counterproductive).

Tuoder · Oct 24, 2006, 07:01 AM

I think that the parental controls thing is very nice. I wouldn't block profanity in the dictionary, though. That one made me laugh. That was the first thing I did when I discovered the dictionary. I wonder what the computer does when bedtime happens, or when a child is close to running out of time. I hope it gives a warning. I also hope it allows for on-the-fly extensions (perhaps at the entry of a password from the parent). This is an upgrade that I want to get.

Peter · Oct 24, 2006, 07:24 AM

Looks like there isn't a major Finder overhaul, interesting.
So far none of the new features interest me. :/

Dark Helmet · Oct 24, 2006, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by Peter

Looks like there isn't a major Finder overhaul, interesting.
So far none of the new features interest me. :/

If they do make a big change it isn't going to be in the dev seedings but in January at MacWorld.

Dark Helmet · Oct 24, 2006, 11:15 AM

At least they have a sense of humor:

lookmark · Oct 24, 2006, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by seanc

I think they're hiding the UI change. It would be pretty stupid not to release a new UI to blow Vistas into the next galaxy.

I quite agree.

I don't know about a radically new UI, but certainly a seriously refreshed UI.

We'll see what Apple has up its sleeve in January.

Tuoder · Oct 24, 2006, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by Peter

Looks like there isn't a major Finder overhaul, interesting.
So far none of the new features interest me. :/

If there is a major UI overhaul, they may be inclined to hide it until the day it ships. I think that they are quite aware of these leaks from developers.

On the other hand, if there is a major overhaul, it seems like they would have to tell the devs, so that they know what there apps will look like.

I could go either way on this one.

Dark Helmet · Oct 24, 2006, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by Tuoder

If there is a major UI overhaul, they may be inclined to hide it until the day it ships.

Ya right. When Steve officially announces the ship date is when all the press will get out there. The final pricing, ship date and features will all be announced then and that is when the word gets out.

I am sure in January we will know everything as Vista will be shipping or really close to it and that is way to short of a time to make any changes to copy 10.5

Mediaman_12 · Oct 24, 2006, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by Tuoder

If there is a major UI overhaul, they may be inclined to hide it until the day it ships. I think that they are quite aware of these leaks from developers.

On the other hand, if there is a major overhaul, it seems like they would have to tell the devs, so that they know what there apps will look like.

I could go either way on this one.

They could 'advise' devs to use UI elements from the OS, using interface builder. Then whatever changes Apple makes at whatever stage, would be reflected across the entire OS.

dbranham · Oct 24, 2006, 05:47 PM

What makes y'all think Apple is going to introduce a major overhaul? If your reason is Vista, I'd say that's somewhat valid. But, I seriously doubt we'll see a drastically different UI. Apple might change some minor visual items such as making the toolbar shinier or adding some more appealing animation here and there. But, don't you think Apple is waiting to release OS 11 before significantly revamping the visuals?

TheoCryst · Oct 24, 2006, 06:52 PM

I'm starting to agree with dbranham. After all, what's honestly bad about the current visual theme? We complained about brushed metal, and Apple is taking away brushed metal. We liked the Unified theme, and we're getting a lot more of the Unified theme. Sure, Tiger (and so far, Leopard) isn't as flashy as Vista, but does that really warrant a full visual revamp? I think a refresh is in order, of course, but nothing more extreme than what was seen between any two previous versions of OS X. Toss in some higher-resolution icons, shinier doodads, maybe the availability of a flatter theme as an option (a la iTunes 7), and most Mac users will be thrilled to stand in line for 10.5.

Off-topic: Even the Finder is getting better, but people continue to complain about it. It's not perfect, but it's pretty damn good.

Horsepoo!!! · Oct 24, 2006, 07:19 PM

I think by major overhaul, people are talking about getting the interface ready for resolution independence.

This means some GUI elements will become vectorized, while others (bitmap graphics) will simply become larger and more detailed so they can scale correctly.

We're not talking about a theme overhaul here.

So far Leopard still doesn't seem to offer the scaleable interface we're all hoping for. I certainly hope Apple isn't settling for what we're seeing in Tiger's dev tools where scaling means taking a window texture and making it smaller or bigger. We want everything to be nice a crisp at any size.

xe0 · Oct 24, 2006, 08:36 PM

apparently, Apple has confirmed a resolution independent UI in Leopard!

From Appleinsider:
Apple Computer's next-generation Mac OS X Leopard operating system will indeed make use of resolution independence, the company confirmed in a posting to its developer website.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2168

Chuckit · Oct 24, 2006, 08:48 PM

Erm…it's actually Apple that confirmed it, and AI just noticed it.

Horsepoo!!! · Oct 24, 2006, 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Erm…it's actually Apple that confirmed it, and AI just noticed it.

I don't think xe0 insinuated that AppleInsider confirmed it.

Catfish_Man · Oct 24, 2006, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by Horsepoo!!!

I think by major overhaul, people are talking about getting the interface ready for resolution independence.

This means some GUI elements will become vectorized, while others (bitmap graphics) will simply become larger and more detailed so they can scale correctly.

We're not talking about a theme overhaul here.

So far Leopard still doesn't seem to offer the scaleable interface we're all hoping for. I certainly hope Apple isn't settling for what we're seeing in Tiger's dev tools where scaling means taking a window texture and making it smaller or bigger. We want everything to be nice a crisp at any size.

Ah. That seems much more reasonable, and I fully expect to see it. I wouldn't even be surprised if minor visual updates get slipped in along with it.

Chuckit · Oct 24, 2006, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by Horsepoo!!!

I don't think xe0 insinuated that AppleInsider confirmed it.

Oh, you're right. Must be going cross-eyed.

monkeybrain · Oct 24, 2006, 11:52 PM

I don't think Apple are keeping it a secret because Microsoft might copy it for Vista; vista seems to just be about bug fixing now, isn't it? I doubt microsoft has the time to copy something from Leopard.

If there is going to be UI change, it must be a secret because they are simply still working on it. Perhaps we are seeing these small changes to the Finder in case they don't finish this rumoured overhaul in time.

- - e r i k - - · Oct 25, 2006, 12:06 AM

Finally!

rickey939 · Oct 25, 2006, 12:25 AM

Looking good! Awesome.

MindFad · Oct 25, 2006, 01:17 AM

Originally Posted by xe0

apparently, Apple has confirmed a resolution independent UI in Leopard!

From Appleinsider:
Apple Computer's next-generation Mac OS X Leopard operating system will indeed make use of resolution independence, the company confirmed in a posting to its developer website.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2168

Apple had confirmed that resolution independence was coming long ago at the conference showing off Tiger, that the foundations were in place, but it wouldn't appear until Leopard. At least, this is what I saw in a presentation about frameworks in Tiger from Apple people. It's been there in the developer tools, too, though it has its kinks. This is great news, though. I'm psyched.

TheoCryst · Oct 25, 2006, 02:17 AM

With regards to resolution independence: awesome! This might be enough to finally get my nearsighted (and attractive female) friend to switch to a Mac.

Me: "Look, you can get a big monitor, and then make everything big too! Isn't that easier on your eyes?"
Her: "Wow! Let's have sex!"

Ah, a guy can dream, can't he?

Simon · Oct 25, 2006, 03:38 AM

What are the chances that although Apple has this super new and (due to Vista) ultra secret Finder UI waiting, they still go out of their way to add alternating colored lines to the Finder's old list view?

monkeybrain · Oct 25, 2006, 12:06 PM

It could be like I said above, Simon. Adding those coloured lines isn't a big task, maybe they did that early on or are adding stuff into the current Finder in case the new one doesn't get finished in time. (It's wishful thinking probably, but I think they'll certainly be enhancing Spotlight in the Finder more, so we definitely haven't seen the end of the updates).

Catfish_Man · Oct 25, 2006, 03:36 PM

There's also the distinct possibility that rather than rewriting from scratch (which is widely considered a bad idea, although not universally), they're mostly doing under the hood changes to make it faster, more reliable, etc... (and fix the network hang? please?)

Big Mac · Oct 25, 2006, 04:04 PM

I seriously doubt there is a secret Finder. There may be unannounced features yet to be revealed, but the Finder we're seeing in the developer builds is the Finder we'll most likely get.

Horsepoo!!! · Oct 25, 2006, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by Catfish_Man

There's also the distinct possibility that rather than rewriting from scratch (which is widely considered a bad idea, although not universally), they're mostly doing under the hood changes to make it faster, more reliable, etc... (and fix the network hang? please?)

That would truly suck. How many revision opportunities has the Finder team had to make "under-the-hood changes"? 4? The current Finder is a lost cause. No amounts of patch work will make it 'faster' or 'more reliable'.

It really needs to be rewritten.

Some much more complex apps have been rewritten at Apple...why shouldn't the Finder be rewritten?

Chuckit · Oct 25, 2006, 04:09 PM

What is the effective difference between a huge amount of patch work and a total rewrite, other than the fact that you can still keep a few things that didn't cause problems with the former?